Bath tub piping and valve equipment



sept. 19, 1967 v. F. VANCE 3,341,865

BATH TUB IJIPING AND VALVE EQUIPMENT I Filed June l0, 1965 L nl 2 32 VINCENT F. VANCE www-4,: 3cv INVENTOR A TTORNE YS United States Patent O M 3,341,865 BATH TUB PIPING AND VALVE EQUIPMENT Vincent F. Vance, 720 7th St. SE., Auburn, Wash. 98002 Filed June 10, 1965, Ser. No. 462,911 4 Claims. (Cl. 4-148) This invention relates to bath tub piping and plumbing equipment asprovided for supplying and controlling ow of bath water to a tub or shower head that is disposed over the tub. Furthermore, it relates to the incorporation, in the present equipment, of means for the discharge of a forcible circulation creating flow of bath water into the tub water by a regulated or controlled discharge of an established mixture of cold and hot water into the bath water in the tub. More specifically, the invention relates to the provision of a novel arrangement of controls for the mixing of water from hot and cold water supply lines and for the diversion of the mixture selectively to tub, shower or to the circulation creating means as applied in the bath tub, and in the specic details of the various parts as used in combination for control of water discharge for the accommodation and desires of the particular personusing the equipment.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will be disclosed and described as this specification progresses.

In accomplishing the various objects and advantages of the invention, I have provided the improved details of construction, the preferred forms of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. l is a vertical section taken through a wall or wall plate and the adjacent end portion of a bath tub to which the equipment of the present invention has been applied.

FIG. 2 is a vertical section taken on line 22 in FIG. 1, showing the circulation creating water discharge pipe and its housing.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a modified form of circulating creating means as applied to the tub.

Referring more in detail to the drawings:

In FIG. l, an end portion of a typical, present-day bath tub is designated by reference numeral which is here shown as being disposed closely adjacent and attached to a vertical wall or wall plate 11. Hot and cold water supply pipes designated, respectively, by numerals 12 and 13, are shown to be connected to a mixing valve 14 which is here shown as being located at the back or left hand side of the wall plate 11 at a height that would be conveniently accessible for adjustment by a person using the tub.

The water mixture from valve housing 14 is delivered by a pipe 16 leadin-g downwardly to a discharge spout 18 that is mounted in the wall plate 11 immediately above the tub for the discharge of the water into the tub. When desired, the flow of water through the spout 18 may also be controlled or diverted from the spout by manipulation of a spout contained diverter valve 18v by means of a valve adjusting button 18s. This diverter valve being of the type or character of that in U.S. Patent No. 2,002,875.

Interposed between the pipe lines 16a and 19, is another diverter valve 22 located at the back of the wall plate 11. The valve 22 is equipped with a controlling handle 23 located at the tub side of the plate 11. By adjustment of this valve 22, the water mixture supplied through pipe 16a, may be selectively diverted by valve 22 directly therefrom through the pipe line 19 to a shower head 20 or to a pipe line 25 that leads downwardly from the valve 22 and is turned forwardly through the wall plate 11 and enters the end wall 10 of the tub through an enlarged overow opening 26. The line 25 is bent in such manner as to form an arcuate portion 27 disposed in a vertical plane closely adjacent the inside face of the tub Wall.

Patented Sept. 19, 1967 This arcuate portion is approximately and is in the nature of a discharge nozzle that is positioned for directing its discharge so as to effect the creation of a circulating or flowing action of the bath water as contained in the tub.

The end wall opening 26 of the tub serves as the overflow opening of the tub and it communicates directly with a downwardly directed discharge pipe 28 with which a drain pipe connection 29, leading from an outlet 30 in the bottom of the tub, is joined as shown in FIG. 1 by use of a T-fitting 31. A stopper 32 for the tub outlet 30 is disposed to close over the outlet and it is adapted to be lifted from closed to an open position by an upwardly directed rod 33 contained in pipe 28 and which is adjusted between its two positions by a handle 34 that is connected with the upper end of rod 28 by a crank lever arm 35 as shown in FIG. 2 and its lower end is connected to the stopper 32 by a pivoted lever arm 36.

The overflow opening 26, and the circulation creating nozzle 27 are covered by a housing 37 formed with side wall slots 37a which permit overow tub water to flow through outlet 26.

By this arrangement of pipe lines and valves, the user of the tub may adjust the water mixture to the proper flow and a desired degree of temperature by manipulation of handle 15 and cause it to be diverted into spout 18 and into the tub. When it is desired to use the circulating tub bath, the user adjusts the valve handle 23 in one direction, to divert the water mixture from valve 22 into the tub through pipe 25 and nozzle 27. If he desires to use the shower, the valve handle 23 is oppositely adjusted to divert the water mixture to the pipe 19. In either of these adjustments for tub circulation or shower, the valve member 18V must be adjusted to shut oit ow from spout 18. The tub may be drained by opening the tub outlet 29. This is accomplished by turning the handle 34 which actuates drain pipe rod 33 for closing or opening valve 32.

The alternative device of FIG. 3 may be used if no shower is anticipated. In this construction, the spout 18x is connected in the usual way with hot and cold water supply lines. Conventional valves control the ow of water to the spout for mixing therein. A pipe connection 40 is made with the spout and leads to a nozzle-like discharge pipe 41, through a manually operable control valve 42. This pipe 41 directs the discharge of water into the tub in a manner so as to create the circulating flow of tub water in the same manner as obtained by the circulation creating device of FIG. 2. In the case of a shower connection being made with the faucet 18x as was disclosed in FIG. 1, the faucet valve under control of button 18s would be employed to control the ow of bath water to the shower or tub.

What I claim as new is:

1. In combination, a bath tub, a shower head supported for discharge into said tub, a tub faucet, a mixing valve supplied by hot and cold water lines, a water mixture discharge pipe leading from said mixing valve for applying mixture therefrom to the tub faucet, a diversion valve remote from said mixing valve and inter-connected thereto, a pipe connection from the diversion valve to the shower head, a pipe line leading from said diversion to said tub and equipped at its end with a nozzle so directed as to discharge water therefrom into the tub water to create circulation of water in the tub, a Valve member in the tub faucet that is adjustable to stop flow of mixture from the faucet, and force it either to the shower head, under control of the diverter valve or to allow it to flow through said nozzle into said tub.

2. A combination according to claim 1 wherein said bath t-ub has an end wall overflow opening with clearance and is equipped at its discharge end with an arcuately ICC curved nozzle disposed in a plane closely adjacent the tub end wall to create the circulating ow of water in the tub.

3. The combination according to claim 2 wherein the arcuate nozzle of said discharge pipe leading to the nozzle is covered by a housing formed with slotted side Walls for outow of overllow water from the tub to the overflow opening.

4. A combination according to claim 3 wherein the tub has a drain port in its bottom, and said overow opening has a discharge pipe leading downwardly therefrom into which a discharge pipe from said drain port enters; said drain port having a control valve that is connected operatively thereto through devices contained in the discharge pipes, and operable from Within the tub.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS More 4-150 Patch 4-178 Erickson et al. 4.494

Pearson 4-191 Gellmann 4--148 Greuter 4-148 10 LAVERNE D. GEIGER, Primary Examiner.

H. K. ARTIS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. IN COMBINATION, A BATH TUB, A SHOWER HEAD SUPPORTED FOR DISCHARGE INTO SAID TUB, A TUB FAUCET, A MIXING VALVE SUPPLIED BY HOT AND COLD WATER LINES, WATER MIXTURE DISCHARGE PIPE LEADING FROM AND MIXING VALVE FOR APPLYING MIXTURE THEREFROM TO THE TUB FAUCET, A DIVERSION VALVE REMOTE FROM SAID MIXING VALVE AND INTER-CONNECTED THERETO, A PIPE CONNECTION FROM THE DIVERSION VALVE TO THE SHOWER HEAD, A PIPE LINE LEADING FROM SAID DIVERSION TO SAID TUB AND EQUIPPED AT ITS END WITH A NOZZLE SO DIRECTED AS TO DISCHARGE WATER THEREFROM INTO THE TUB WATER TO CREATE CIRCULATION OF WATER IN THE TUB, A VALVE MEMBER IN THE TUB FAUCET THAT IS ADJUSTABLE TO STOP FLOW OF MIXTURE FROM THE FAUCET, AND FORCE IT EITHER TO THE SHOWER HEAD, UNDER CONTROL OF THE DIVERTER VALVE OR TO ALLOW IT TO FLOW THROUGH SAID NOZZLE INTO SAID TUB. 